Keynote: Energy Recovery

Global Biogas Opportunity (1 CEU)

Wednesday, September 27, 2017
9:30 – 10:30
Ballroom I & II

Interest globally in the use of biogas for energy continues to grow. While capturing methane from landfills, wastewater plants, food residues and livestock manure has been on-going for decades (in some countries centuries), new technologies and uses has raised the profile of this renewable, distributed energy source. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities to expanding the global market for biogas, an often overlooked and under-valued source of local energy that exists in almost every country across the globe.

Moderator:

Chris Voell has been a champion for biogas energy, improved waste management practices and methane mitigation throughout his career in the non-profit, private industry and governmental sectors. Mr. Voell currently works with the U.S. livestock industry, state and federal agencies and biogas industry stakeholders in advancing the deployment of manure digesters and biogas systems. Mr. Voell also serves as Co-Chair of the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) Biogas Subcommittee, promoting methane mitigation and biogas energy production across the waste, wastewater and agriculture sectors.

Speakers:

David Newman, President, World Biogas Association, United Kingdom

David Newman has been President of ISWA from 2012 to 2016 and at the end of 2016 was appointed President of the newly established World Biogas Association, based in London.
Over 30 years, Mr. Newman has worked in the environmental field as Director of Greenpeace in Italy, led for 15 years the Italian composting and biogas association CIC, was President of the Italian national waste association (ISWA Italy), founded and ran from 2011 to 2015 the bioplastics association Assobioplastiche. He also currently manages the Bio Based and Biodegradable Industries Association in the UK. Mr. Newman successfully led the team introducing pro-biowaste policies in Italy and was part of the lobby effort leading to the EU-wide reduction of plastic carrier bags directive in 2015. He also runs his own private consultancy company and is involved in several European waste projects.

Patrick Serfass has led the American Biogas Council (ABC) since early 2010 when he helped 22 companies come together to form the only trade association representing the entire biogas industry in the US. The ABC now represents over 200 organizations and has a network of more than 11,000 stakeholders in the biogas industry. Mr. Serfass has over 15 years’ experience growing other clean energy industries, like solar, hydrogen and fuel cells, through the company that manages the ABC: Technology Transition Corporation. In Mr. Serfass’s early career he was a physical oceanographer, architectural engineer and designed unmanned deep ocean vehicles. Mr. Serfass holds a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.